オーラ (Aura)
by NightFall00
Summary: The ability to use Aura is one that people in the pokémon world have tried to understand for centuries. However, in our world, it's just poppycock. Because of this, aura users must train in secret, and be let out later in life. For one user, a boy named Jack, using Aura isn't the easiest thing in the world, but he sure is gonna have to try. OCs are accepted. Don't like, don't read.


Hey, guys, how's it going? Well, obviously I'm up to my old tricks again, and even if that means I'll be deleting some of my stories, just be aware that that is one of the risks you run in subscribing to any author's story. There's a chance it will be deleted, and not everything you read is going to Pulitzer Prize material. That being said, this is what I do, and it's a hobby that keeps me from getting too depressed. This is an attempt of mien to bring back a story I wrote about a year and a half ago with a different premise, but a similar theme. For those that remember my story "A Little Bit of Magic," you know it's been my dream to make a fantasy based pokémon story, as much as that kind of distinction actually holds validity. My problem with the other one was that it focused entirely too much on magic, and not enough on pokémon, so while it may be cliché, this is how I think a fantasy kind of pokémon story should work.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKÉMON, BECAUSE IF I DID, THE MAIN CHARACTER WOULD CHANGE EVER NOW AND AGAIN.**

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Prologue: Aura

Have you ever felt like you were never truly alone, even if you were isolated from others? That somebody or something was watching over you in your darkest times, and keeping your spirits lifted when you were at your happiest? It's not strange to be paranoid about this kind of thing, and more often than not, people who are paranoid about having some kind of guardian angel are the sanest when compared to people who continually think that there is no force in the world other than themselves. Whether or not one believes in something is irrelevant when it is truth, and that truth is the one thing nobody's belief is going to change. A common misconception about beliefs and religion is that you only have to believe in the good things about it, but in reality, it's a package deal. When believing in the highest power, you must also accept that there are consequences for every action and that there is a great evil in the world. Some choose to leave this up to only their imagination, and focus on the good, but ignoring the fact that there is evil in the world is what creates the most vulnerable of victims.

* * *

The landscape was near breathtaking after seeing it for the first time, the healthy green grass and fields of flourishing flowers were enough to make anybody forget just about everything. For that one moment, it was as though a real heaven on earth was possible, even if that was nothing more than wishful thinking. Overlooking the beauty of the rolling hills was a giant, stately castle, its walls entirely cast out of stone, looking much more like a fortress from the medieval times than the kind you'd expect a princess to live in. All along the pillars that made up the four corners of the castle walls, giant, stained glass windows stood, the sun up above tinting the shadows made by them in their brilliant colors.

In one of the windows however, the shadow became deformed, no longer being a mix of colors, and instead just the shadow of a person sitting in the windowsill with room to spare, his left leg bent so his foot was adjacent to his right knee. As he stared out of the window, his twin violet colored eyes scanned the landscape, a smile on his face as he looked back up, part of him not believing any part of this day was real. All along the halls of the castle, children a few years younger than him ran back and forth, all wearing a long white robes, most of them much too small to actually fit into them. He was wearing one of them as well, his fitting him a bit better.

"Hey, guys, it's Jack!" one of the kids shouted as the older boy looked down from his perch at the small group of kids. "Hey, Jack! What are doing up there, don't you want to get ready for your graduation!?" the small child asked, the boy looking down with his eyes, and smiled again before jumping down, the window a couple feet off of the ground.

"Part of me still doesn't believe I'm finally graduating from this place," he said, patting one of the kids on the head. "A lot of my friends graduated when they were about your age, so I haven't gotten to hear from them in a long time. But I finally did it, and maybe I'll be sent to the same place they were. There's always hope."

"Why's it taken you so long to graduate, Jack?" one of the other children asked, Jack scratching his messy black hair to find an answer.

"Well, I guess you could say I didn't have much reason to study like you kids all did," he said, moving his hand out of his hair, and letting it fall back towards his eyes, the rest of it falling a little past his ears, and down and around his neck. "It's weird as I'm saying this, though," he said, the other kids looking at him slightly confused. "I'm only fourteen, and I sound like old geezer. Guess it's all in perspective when you really look at it. Still, I was able to graduate from this place, and now you guys are all gonna be my friends from now on," he said, the other kids cheering as they rushed him in a giant group hug.

"_That's right,"_ Jack said to himself. _"Most people graduate as Aura Guardian Apprentices when they're ten or eleven, not fourteen like me. When I got here I was a complete failure. I didn't even know my Aura Color when I got here, and that's one of the first things they ask you. The outlands of Great Britain were perfect for training in Aura because the soil here is mostly unchanged from when the first few Aura Guardians cultivated it."_

"Okay, you lot, you gonna have to get off before I break," he said, slowly pushing the kids on top of him off. "Remember, I'm the old guy, you guys can't be too rough with me," he said with a smile as he began to impersonate himself as an elderly man, the children around him immediately bursting into laughter. _"Still, it must've been nice for these kids to have someone to look up to. Don't think it was a wise decision to choose me."_

Soon after, Jack began walking down the hallway after the children, their excitement bursting out of them as their older friend followed. Jack's eyes, while happy, were somewhat conflicted. Somehow this all seemed to be unreal, and yet he couldn't deny that it was happening. He looked back out of the passing windows, and remember each of the times he spent staring out the windows wanting to be on the outside rather than cooped up in the castle. Looking down at his hands, he began to clench his fingers into a fist, a radiant source of energy beginning to flow through his fingers. Looking down at the other children, he knew all eight of them could produce a burst much more powerful than he could, and hold it for much longer.

* * *

As they reached the main throne room, Jack was the last to enter, closing the large wooden door behind him with a small slam, and turned back around, the two sides or the room lined with men and women much older than the group. They all wore similar robes to Jack and the others, but theirs varied in color, the entirety of the graduating party all wearing a light ran colored cloth, most of them barely able to poke their fingers out the ends of the sleeves. After the door was closed, the men and women all turned to face the group, holding up a series of candelabras, looking towards the back where Jack towered over all of them, his height, small while it may have been at five foot four, was still at least half a foot taller than the others.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice suddenly called out from the very end of the room, a middle aged man with the same kind of robe standing in front of the ancient throne. "It is my great pleasure to introduce the newest recipients of the rank of Aura Guardian Apprentice," he said, his entire face shadowed by his hood. "As you all know, this marks the first step in their journeys to control the life force of all things, the Aura. Some will be sent only as far as London, but others may be sent an entire world away. When I call your name, please accept your certification, and I will give you your training destination."

Jack was barely listening by this point, simply staring straight on, and waiting for his name to be called. Only children who had received their new ranking would ever be able to walk inside of the old throne room, supposedly belonging to an ancient Aura Guardian. The seal on the top of the regal chair was evidence enough of that, and the painted glass depicting scenes from his life made it clear to Jack that it was probably true.

"Jack Hawthorne!" the man suddenly called out, Jack instantly snapping out of his own trance, and began walking up towards the throne to receive his diploma, so to speak. "I won't lie, Jack, you are not an easy child to deal with," he said as Jack could only grin at his comment. "I truly thought you would be the death of me one day, and to my surprise, you actually did become an Apprentice. I've waited years to say this, but, good work, my boy. Just don't screw this up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jack replied, opening up the rolled up parchment like a scroll.

"According to the spirits of Aura in this place, you are to continue your journey very far away from this place," the man explained, Jack continuing to read everything written on the piece of paper. "Therefore, it has been decided that you will continue to study your powers in Aura in the far eastern country of Japan in Nagasaki. There you will stay as a student under the tutelage of a dear friend of mine. The people you will be studying with are of both groups, Aura users and regular people, but you must not let anyone know who you are unless you are sure it is necessary," he said, Jack looking up at him in understanding as he lowered his head. "And with that, honored guests, our graduation ceremony is over. You may join your children in celebration!" he declared, every person lining the room suddenly placing down their candlesticks and then running out to the small group of younger children.

As far as Jack could see, his own family never came, not that he really expected them to, the hooded man behind him placing a hand on his shoulder that the oldest of the graduates could only smile at. Patting him lightly, the man let Jack go, and the others in the room watched as he walked out of the throne room.

"Hey, Jack!" somebody shouted as he looked back, one of the kids waving his arms at him. "Don't forget about your friends, and make sure to make new ones for us to meet, too!" he said as Jack smiled and nodded, disappearing behind the door.

Once he was out of the throne room, Jack quickly shed off his robe, a pair of dark blue jeans, a gray colored t-shirt underneath a black colored short-sleeved jacket, and a pair of black tennis shoes underneath. Reaching behind him, Jack pulled a red colored cap out of his back pocket, and placed it on his head. His mood seemed to brighten now that he out of his graduation attire, his body shown to be fairly slight, but was still fit enough for most athletics.

* * *

Back inside the throne room, the man that had handed Jack his certification took off his hood, showing a face similar in style to Jack, but his eyes were much more weary than the latter's. As he let out a large sigh, he looked back behind him, noticing a few other looking at him questioningly, and his depressed look even more apparent as he turned to them.

"Do you think it wise to send Mr. Hawthorne so far away, headmaster?" one of them asked. "Even if he is an oddity, it doesn't mean that we should just dump him onto another country, should we?" they asked, the middle aged man looking back towards the door, knowing there was no chance Jack was still there.

"Jack was on track to graduate three years ago, but he stopped working in his last year, and that repeated itself in the next attempt, and then next until he finally applied himself this last year," he said. "My nephew deserves to see more of the world rather than the stuffy streets of London town. Nagasaki may be a bit farther than most would send their students, but the fact remains that Jack still cannot access one hundred percent of his Aura at this time despite his age. Most of the students by the age of eleven are able to give a power output of seventy percent, but even now, Jack is forced to work with a measly forty percent."

"Do you believe there's anything wrong with his body?" another of the teachers asked.

"If by that you mean do I think there's some ancient beast dwelling inside of him, and holding back his ultimate power until the time when it reveals itself and he can do impossible things," the headmaster started, the others looking at him expectantly "then no," he finished, the others falling off to the side with a loud crash. "Jack's just not the best at using his Aura. He's been compensating for a lack of Aura concentration by only using small amounts on his body to act as a kind of extension for his style of fighting. Aside from that, there's not actual reason for why he shouldn't be able to, and in fact, it's just that he hasn't learned how to."

"Even with that much schooling behind him, do you really believe that Jack hasn't learned to command his Aura as effectively as these children?" a third teacher asked as the headmaster, Jack's uncle, stared at the young children who could all best his nephew in a match with their eyes closed. "It seems unlikely he gained nothing in six years of living in the castle."

"Do you know what the virtues of his Aura are?" the headmaster asked, the others looking at him despite it being a very simple question. "An Aura of his type doesn't make use of his intelligence, but rather his creative spirit. To be able to think differently is what Jack excels in rather than his own abilities to use Aura. The basis of being able to control one's Aura is to be able to make it one's own. That's why he is able to manipulate small amounts of Aura more effectively than other people. Aura manipulation is a difficult process, but it become second nature for those with the flowing Blue Aura like all of us in the Hawthorn," he explained, holding up a single finger, gliding it across the air, a small blue stream showing itself.

"In being able to use his Blue Aura, Jack is able to easily to shape small bursts of Aura to what he needs, and he is able to incorporate that into his style of fighting," the headmaster continued. "It's also why I'm sending him to Japan, to learn about the early uses of the martial arts style he's been trained in, _tessenjutsu_. The technique of the war fan."

* * *

Opening up one of the smaller doors in the castle walls, Jack walked into his room, collapsing onto his bed as he looked directly above him. With its small arms folded behind its head, the strange blue creature opened one of its eyes, noticing that Jack was back in his room. Instantly, the otter-like creature jumped down to his bed, and folded its legs into a formal seated position, two shells attached to its legs with a broad black tail behind it. Looking up at it, Jack could still hardly believe the ethereal form of the creature that shared his room.

"I'm finally done here, Dewott," Jack said, the small creature smirking as it nodded in approval. "We'll be going to Nagasaki at the end of the month," he said, trying to keep his cool, but it was obvious both were very excited about finally being able to leave the castle.

"_Finally, I can get out of this stupid place,"_ the small creature said with a deep echoing in its voice. _"Ever since you and I got connected, it's been hell having to stay in this place. Of course we'd have been able to get out of this place sooner if you tried a bit harder."_

"Believe me, if I could have left here sooner, I would've done everything I could," Jack said. "The fact of the matter is that I can't control my Aura like other people can, and to everyone else, it was reason enough to keep me here for a bit longer."

"_I've been stuck connected to you for the last five years, and we should've left after two years, so I still blame you for keeping me here,"_ Dewott said, folding its arms while looking away. _"You're just lucky I never left you. I'm sure other Blue Aura users could've done a better job than you."_

"Right, because you being the generous spirit you are, that was the only reason you stayed connected," Jack said with a smile, Dewott blushing as he turned away again, chuckling nervously. "I am grateful that you've put up with me for the past few years, and I hope that we can continue to be friends in the future."

"_Seriously, did you swallow a pack of stupid pills today?"_ Dewott asked. _"It's obvious that we're stuck together for the rest of our lives, so we may as well just get used to it. Just don't think I'm holding your hand for the whole trip," _he said as Jack smiled and nodded. _"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must start packing before they change their mind, and make you stay for another year,"_ he said, quickly running across the room with Jack's gentle eyes watching him closely.

"_Dewott is my Spirit Partner,"_ he reminded himself. _"Every single person in the world has one, but only people sensitive to Aura can manifest them, or even see them for that matter. They're ancient creatures with powers over the eighteen elements in the world with two falling under one of the nine kinds of Aura. Dewott is a water spirit, and my Aura is blue. Blue rules over water and ice type spirits, Red rules fire and fighting, Yellow commands electric and steel, Purple controls flying and poison, Brown makes use of rock and ground, Green uses grass and bug, Pink rules fairy and psychic, Black controls dark and ghost, and then White controls normal and dragon. Nobody can have more than one kind of Aura, and most never have more than one Spirit Partner in their lives."_

"_Since Dewott is my partner, his spirit is the same as mine, so we are able to combine and battle as one when we have to, but competitions between Aura Guardians are rare if not non-existent. But in the off chance it does happen, I've learned how to fight in the same style as him, but even then, I doubt if I'll make much difference. Like everyone keeps saying, I'm mostly a failure at using Aura, and can't use more than half of my actual Aura at a time. That's why I'm glad to be leaving, that way I can train my own body, and see how much I can actually make use of Aura."_

"Hey, Dewott," Jack said, the water spirit turning to face his partner. "Let's make this a good journey, what do you say?" he asked, holding up a thumbs-up at Dewott.

"_Tch, like you had to say anything so embarrassing,"_ Dewott said, rubbing the bottom of its nose with its paw. _"But you got yourself a deal, there, Jack."_

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Characters:

Jack Hawthorne & Dewott. NightFall00

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Prologue Complete. Obviously not like my normal stuff because I find it hard to do anything with pokémon in the real world, but at the same time, my theory is that the pokémon world is either a part of our world's past or our world's future given the kinds of technology and mysticism apparent there. Of course, it's a weak theory, but it's one nonetheless. This time, I decided to really push the Aura bit since I think it works very well, and to do that I made use of nine different Aura colors and have them correspond to two different types. For those that want _certain_ information on the story, check out my forum, and I do apologize for the deletion of my other stories, but as I always say, it's just the risk you have to be aware of. Things happen, and while I don't expect sympathy, just understand that it's what I do. Do that, and everything will be fine.


End file.
